Serbia is definitely rich with culture and is a country rife with ethnic history and in political transition. I am doing a lot less law interning than I would like-- but am learning a ton about the former Yugoslavia and the sensitive politics between Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks. The situation here with Kosovo is still very much an issue, even if the US press only cover Lindsay Lohan’s SCRAM bracelet and the winner of American Idol.

The War Crimes Prosecutor's Office. The Serbs love to talk to me about how we choose cases, and how (or if) we are really searching for the former Serbian war criminals (slash national heroes, depending on your point of view). I get a lot of jokes about hiding in bushes and keeping a net in my purse.

Though interesting it's frustrating that I can't communicate with the people as much as I'd like. I do a lot of nodding and smiling and raising one eyebrow. I vow never to continue to talking in English to someone when I know they don’t speak it. It's as if the Serbs think that if they continue to talk to me (often louder and louder) I will all of a sudden (snap!) understand...They keep talking, I keep shaking my head.

(Sometimes people are speaking English and I’m not even in on the joke: “Oh you want to go to Budapest? I bet you will sell a lot of perfume.” The entire room erupts in laughter. Explain that to me.)

Politics here are extremely sensitive and inextricably linked to ethnicity/nationality. On the one hand, the war in Croatia was led by the JNB (Serbian army). On the other, it was a civil war of Croats, though they were undeniably of Serbian ethnicity. Even in the short time I have been here, there have been little mentions of “our license plate is from BLG, we can’t go to Dubrovnik (on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia)” or “We’re all the same…except the Albanians.”